Rankine cycle system for vehicle

Abstract

A Rankine cycle system includes a boiler configured to apply waste heat to refrigerant circulating in an internal-combustion engine to vaporize the refrigerant; a gas-liquid separator configured to separate gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant, sent from the boiler, into gas phase fluid and liquid phase fluid; a superheater configured to superheat the gas phase fluid, sent from the gas-liquid separator, through heat exchange with exhaust gas of the internal-combustion engine; an expander configured to expand the gas phase fluid, passing through the superheater, to recover thermal energy, and a condenser configured to condense the gas phase fluid, passing through the expander, to return the gas phase fluid to liquid phase fluid. The gas-liquid separator is fixed to a cylinder head of the internal-combustion engine. It is preferable that the gas-liquid separator is configured to include a bracket, and is fixed to the cylinder head via the bracket.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A Rankine cycle system for vehicle comprising:
 a boiler configured to apply waste heat to refrigerant circulating in an internal-combustion engine to vaporize the refrigerant; 
 a gas-liquid separator configured to separate gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant, sent from the boiler, into gas phase fluid and liquid phase fluid; 
 a superheater configured to superheat the gas phase fluid, sent from the gas-liquid separator, through heat exchange with exhaust gas of the internal-combustion engine; 
 an expander configured to expand the gas phase fluid, passing through the superheater, to recover thermal energy; and 
 a condenser configured to condense the gas phase fluid, passing through the expander, to return the gas phase fluid to liquid phase fluid, wherein 
 the gas-liquid separator is fixed to a cylinder head of the internal-combustion engine, 
 wherein the condenser is arranged on a vehicle front side with respect to the gas-liquid separator, and 
 the gas-liquid separator is arranged at a position where a part of the gas-liquid separator overlaps the condenser when seen from a front of the vehicle. 
 
     
     
       2. The Rankine cycle system for vehicle according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the gas-liquid separator includes a bracket made of metal, and 
 the gas-liquid separator is fixed to the cylinder head via the bracket. 
 
     
     
       3. The Rankine cycle system for vehicle according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the internal-combustion engine includes a plurality of cylinders arranged in series, and 
 the gas-liquid separator is fixed on an exhaust side with respect to a plane including a central axis of the cylinders, the plane being in parallel with a row direction of the cylinders. 
 
     
     
       4. The Rankine cycle system for vehicle according to  claim 1 , further comprising
 a heat insulation tank that integrally covers the superheater and the gas-liquid separator.